Professional ballerinas spend $100 for each pair of pointe shoes, and they only last 3 days — why can’t they be made to last longer?
In: Engineering
It’s worth noting that most ballerinas have “show” shoes and “practice” shoes.
The practice shoes typically last longer than the show shoes. Some dancers prefer slightly different shoes when performing because they look better, even if they don’t provide the best support. Many dancers prefer shoes that are “almost dead” to perform in (because they’ll have the least support, but they’ll be most molded to the dancer’s foot at that time.)
It’s also worth noting that the practice shoes typically last more than 3 days. Probably ~3 weeks (if they’re lucky. I’ve heard anywhere from 1 week to 2 months depending on the type of shoe. (some brands last longer than others.))
As for the actual reason, it’s literally because “that’s the way it’s been done forever and that’s what’s accepted.” Dancers are expected to look a certain way, ESPECIALLY their feet. That’s quite literally one of the main focal points in ballet dancing. Plus, as someone else said “The shoes are destroyed so the dancer’s feet are destroyed less.” The fact that the shoes are covered in satin means that they’re ALWAYS going to wear very quickly, so why build a super long lasting shoe if the satin on the outside is just going to wear away/get dirty anyway? You can’t wash point shoes. So once they get dirty they’re pretty much done.
For what it’s worth, this “longevity” of shoe isn’t far off from what professional runners go through.
Running shoes last ~400 miles. Many professional runners run 80-100 miles a week. So they go through a pair of shoes a month.
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